Apparatus for treating textiles and other materials



B. W. PUTNAM.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILES AND OTHER MATERIALS. APPLlcATloN msn JUNE 3.1918.

1,387,072, PanaAug. 9,1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- BemumnW. Putnam B. w. PUTNAM. APPARATUS FOR TBEATING TEXTILES AND OTHER MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3| 1918. y 1,387,072. Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

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APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILES AND OTHER MATERIALS.

APPLlcATsoN FILED'JUNE a. 191e.

1,387,072.` I A l PatentedAug. 9,1921.

\nven o1-. BenjumnW. Punum by mia-PTM AHys.

UNITED vS'I'A'FIEIS PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN' W. PUTNAM, OF JAMAICA PLAIN, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILES AND OTHER MATERIALS.

To all'whom i12 may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN W. PUT- NAM, a citizen ofthe United States, and resident of Jamaica Plain, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inApparatus for Treating Textiles and other Materials, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts. v

This invention relates to improvements in apparatusjfor treating textile and other materials which are to be acted upon by one or more agents in the course of their treatment.

The principal object of the invention is to maintain the fibers or other elements of the material being treated in substantially their original relation to each other throughout the treatment or series of treatments to which the material is subjected.

The invention therefore comprehends broadly mechanisms for treating materials either in dry state or by the action of liquids or gaseous fluids or other agencies such as heat, light or electricity without material disturbance of the arrangement of the fibers or elements thereof.

More specifically the invention relates to improvements in cleaning and scouring ap-l paratus in which the material while confined in a thin layer is subjected to mechanical or chemical agencies, duly washed and dried without substantial disturbance of the relations of the elements of the material.

The invention alsocomprehends the production of mechanisms for performing other treatments of material such as mercerizing, carbonizing, bleaching, all of which may be introduced as steps in the process of transforming in a continuous operation raw fibers or other material into a product adapted to be utilized directlyin the manufacturing arts.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed herein as particularly applied to the treatment of wool in the fleece but it will be understood that the disclosure is of an illustrative character merely and not restrictive and that the apparatus may be employed in the treatment of other materials of various characters, for example the apparatus is particularly adapted to be used in whole or in part in cleaning fabrics and made up clothing, one of the important uses of the invention -being in the cleaning of uniforms and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug.' 9, 1921.

Application led June 3, 1918. Serial No. 238,038.

tire outfit of a company or regiment to be cleaned in so short a time that the wearers will not be seriously inconvenienced. 1 Inasmuch as the treatment of wool to pre- .pare the fiber as it comes from the sheep for use in the textile arts requires a process comprising a maximum number of steps the invention both as a process and the process and apparatus will be described as employed in the treatment of wool.

Wool as it comes from the sheep contains many substances beside the wool fiberlitself which must be removed before the latter can be dyed, carded, combed and spun. These substances are, first, matter mechanically adhering to the'wool, such as dirt, pieces of leaves, etc., which are readily removed by a process of scouring, burs which adhere with tenacity to the wool, which may be removed by carbonization, and several other substances secreted from the sheep which are largely salts derived from the soil and assimilated by the sheep through its food. Such secreted substances can be divided into two classes, the first of which Ais known as yolk or suint which comprises exudations from theskin of the sheep and which substance is soluble in water, and the second known as wool fat which is insoluble in water but can be removed by alkaline liquids.

In scouring wool by processes and apparatus heretofore employed the wool is generally first passed through a stream of running water and i's agitated therein by rakes or pickers, this treatment serving to remove the dirt and yolk or suint. The wool is then carried to a scouring solution, which is a soap or other alkali and is spread around or tossed through such solution until the wool fat is extracted, whereupon the wool is carried toa washing tank where it is again washed with running water. The wool is then taken out and dried and is afterward subjected to various operations such as carbonizing, mercerizing, bleaching, dyeing, etc., each of said operations being performed separately.

During the treatment of the wool by the various processes and apparatus heretofore employed the fleece is broken up by the rakes or other mechanism which are used to agitate the wool during the washing and scouring steps and many of the fibers of the wool are broken thereby. Other fibers both short and long are caused to form knots or noils and cannot be combed, so consequently become Waste.

This is partlcularl true of fleeces from hot countries in which t e sheep are shorny twice a year, the wool of such fleeces being too short to withstand economically the usual scouring and combing treatments.

By the present invention the fibers of the fleeceare maintained throughout the treatment in a state of tension of such a character that the fleece remains substantially intact with the fibers in their original relative positions so that when the fleece emerges from the treatment or series of treatments the fibers are in their original condition without broken fibers or noils so that when subjected to combing and other treatments there is substantially no waste.

In the scouring treatment of wool it is important that the scouring liquor shall not be either too hot or too strong or both, as excessive heat or excessive strength causes'deterioration of the fiber.

Another object of the presentinvention is to provide means whereby the strength of the solutionmay be at all times under control a minimum amount of solution used and the wool treated just such predetermined length of time as is necessary most effectively to perform the scouring operation.

l A further feature of the vinvention consists 1n providing means whereby the temperature of the liquid will always be under control whether the liquid be merely water or scouring, bleaching, orother chemical solution.

y A further feature of the invention consists 1n providing means for subjfecting the material to the action of steam while it is in the process of treatment, the steam being produced from water first passing through the material.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for handling the fleece in which lnspection of the fleece may be made at any time in order to determine whether the proper results are being obtained from the treatment during any step of the process.

Various other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed claims. v

r1`he preferred form of apparatus which is 1llustrated in the accompanying drawing and wh1ch while particularly adapted for the treatment of wool is also capable of use in the treatment of various other materials comprises means for mechanically treating merma the eece or other material to beat out the dirt and refuse. and thereafter while the fleece is maintained'intact to scour the same, wash, bleach, carbonize, mercerize or dye the fleece with suitable washing steps intermediate these various treatments and finally to dry the fleece and deliverthe same from the machine still in substantially intact condition.

In this apparatus one of the ob'ects of the invention is to provide means for eating out the dirt and other solid matter Without disturbing the arrangement of the fibers ofthel fleece.

Another object of the invention is to obtain a maximum amount of space and with a minimum amount of liquid. rlhis is accomplished by passing the fleece which is spread out into a flat condition through the liquid in the direction of its length or edgewise, preferably causing the fleece to pass obliquely downwardly into the liquid and again obliquely upwardly whereby a maximum amount of travel through the liquid in a tank of a given size is obtained, the tank preferably being V-shaped with its bottom walls conforming substantially to the directions of movement of the fleece.

yOther important -objects of the invention consist in alternately compressing and permitting the fleece to expand during its passage through the liquid, means also preferably being provided for agitating the fleece transversely in the liquid whereby the liquid will be forced through the interstices between the fibers and through contact ofthe liquid with each liber insured.

A further object of the invention is to economize in the amount of liquid or chemicals used and this is effected in the preferred form of the invention illustrated herein by providing means for squeezing as much as possible of the liquid or chemical from the eece as it passes from one liquid treating operation to another.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing heating means for each of the liquid contalning tanks which will be always under control of the operator and in which a minimum amount of fuel will be required to maintain the liquid at exactlyY the proper temperature or temperatures.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for thoroughly drying the fleece or other material treated in the manner aforesaid without disturbing the relation of the fibers of the wool or other elements of the material being treated. A

rllhis is accomplished by passing the fleece or other material through a drying oven, preferably around drying drums adapted to maintain a constant circulation of heated air through vthe material being treated and finally delivering thev material in a thoroughly dried state.

Another feature of the invention consists in providing means for utilizing the excess of the heat supplied in the drying operation to heat the liquid which is used in the wet treatment of the material.

The preferred form'of apparatus utilized for accomplishinglthese results as illustrated herein comprises a v plurality of traveling 'perforated endless conveyers or belts having adjacent; leads moving in the same direction and preferably at the same speed. The adjacent leads of these endless conveyers are placed in close proximity to one another so that they are adapted to confine the material, such as a fleece of wool, between-them in the form of a flat layer.

The material thus confined between the adjacent leads of the endless conveyer is first subjected to a beating'operation in which a series of beaters are caused to impinge upon the upper lead either directly or preferably upon a stationary flexible material located over the conveyer and adapted to permit the action of the beaters therethrough so that the dirt or other solid debris will be driven from the wool or other material through the lower eoperating conveyer lead.

The parallel leads of the endless conveyer are thence guided through tanks containing the various liquids or chemical solutions adapted to perform the functions above described and finally through a dryer, `the fleece or other material at all times being confined between the same portions of said conveyers and finally discharged substan-l tially intact. A

-Where Wool is being treated the coperating leads of the conveyers seize the wool 4as it is presented to the bite of the rollers around which the endless conveyers pass and impose a tension upon the fibers which tends to straighten them. This tension is preserved to a greater or less extent during the entire treatment so that when the wool emerges from the final treatment many of the curled up noils or knots are straightened out so that tags, waste and wool o f such character which heretofore has been considered waste is transformed into a suitable material which canbe used with the ordinary wool stock.

It will be understood that in this apparatus various novel details have been invented and developed as subcombinations of my invention,`said novel details being more fully pointed out in the following description and claims. t

The drawings illustrate portions of apparatus embodying my invention and a preferred means for performing the various steps of the4 process .which also forms my invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1` is aside view of a cleaning and scouring apparatus 4embodying my inven- Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view through one of the drums,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a section of the dry cleaning apparatusl showing' the perforated endless carriers, a flexible stationary member, such as a canvas plate overlying the same and beaters acting upon the surface of the stationary flexible member,

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of beating apparatus.-

Fig. 8 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through one of the liquid containing:

tanks illustrating a preferredmeans for transversely vibrating the coperatin material confining leads of the conveyer uring its passage throughthe fluid in the tank.

Fig. 9 is a detail side elevation of one of the last tanks showing a spray of water being projected upon the material engaging conveyers and means for supplying heat tofthe bottom of the tank to convert into steam spray which passes through the material,

Fig. l0 is a view of the preferred form of conveyer supporting and squeezing rollers showing the conveyers in section,

Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view showing the means for splicing the ends of the webs of the endless conveyers,

The machine illustrated in the accom:- panying drawing comprises a series of vertical posts l, which support side frames 2, 3 upon which' are supported means for carrying superposed conveyers preferably endless webs of reticulated wire fabric having adjacent leads Itraveling in the same direction and lying sufficiently close to each other to confine the material lying sufficiently close to each other to confine the material between them to prevent the elements thereof from any considerable movement relative' toone another.

As illustrated in Figs. l and 2, three of such endless conveyers are provided; the

lower conveyer 4, which receives the material to be treated, has an upper horizontal lead supported upon rollers 5 through a l compartment in which the material is treated mechanically, preferablyl by beaters, or by an air blast forced downwardly through the material.

The conveyer 4 after emerging from the beating compartment passes between a pair of guide rollers v6, 7 and is led over the latter downwardly beneath a roller 8 at the bottom of a tank preferably having ,hat downwardly converging bottom plates 9, 10 forming a V-shaped tank, the roller 8 being locatedv in the lowermost portion of the tank.

After passing beneath the roller 8 the conveyer is. carried over a roller 11 mounted upon the edge of the tank preferably above the surface ofthe liquid inthe tank. coperating squeezin roller 12 may be utilized to force the liquid out of the material as it is passed over the rollenll. The roller l1 desirably may be crowned and the coperating roller provided with a concaved surface corresponding in curvature to the crowned roller 11. By this construction tendency of the conveyers running over the same to creep laterally is counteracted.

Any suitable number o-f other tanks similar tothe one described may be provided and said tanks may be filled with water or any desired chemical solution for operating upon the material. Thesetanks may be located in a continuous row if sucient roo-m is available but if it is desired to economize in Hoor space another series or a number of series of tanks may besuperposed.

As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings the second series of tanks is superposed above the first and the conveyer 4 is led upwardly to discharge the material resting thereupon upon a suitable conveyer for carrying the same through the upper series of tanks which as shown herein are retained between the side frames 3.

rlhe conveyer 4 is then carried around any suitable guiding rollers beneath the tanks along the bottom of the frame of the machine and finally passes over the roll 5 heretofore described.

Any suitable arrangement of conveyers for effecting the purpose may be utilized. As illustrated herein however, the upper of the superimposed conveyers which engage the material in the lower series of tanks is used for the lower conveyer of the upper series of tanks. This conveyer 13 is first carried beneath guide rollers 14 extending across the beating compartment, thence beneath the roller 6 and over the conveyer 7, thence downwardly beneath the rollers 8 and upwardly over the rollers of the successive tanks 11 in parallelism and in cooperation with the conveyer 4. The squeezing rollers 12 which maybe located at any desired points along the tanks engage the conveyer 13 and force the same upon the material so that the liquid is squeezed from the material' lyin between the two leads as they pass together between the rollers 11-12.. Where superposed series of tanks are used such as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the conveyer 13 leads upwardly at the end of the frame in conjunction with the conveyer 4 and then becomes the lower lead of the wperating leads which carry the merma material through the upper 'series of` tanks. rlfhese tanks may, like the tanks heretofore described, comprise converging bottoms 15, 16 havin guiding rollers 1 7 Vcorresponding to the ro 1ers 11 located at the upper edges of the tanks and guiding rollers 18 corresponding to the rollers 8 located near the A bottoms of the tanks. 'lhe squeezing rollers 19 coperating with any suitable number of rollers 17 may .be provided as before described.

The conveyer 13 may thus be led' through any number of tanks containing various liquids or chemicals adapted to perform the desired operations upon the material and delivered therefrom either directly or carried through a .dryer for removin such moisture from the material as 1s not squeezed out by the last of the squeezing rollers 19. In order properly to carry the materialthrough the upper series of tanks as aforesaid another perforated endless conveyer 20 is utilized which passes around a guiding roller 21 into coperating relation to the conveyer 13.

rlhe conveyer 20 thereupon passes over the guide rollers 17 and beneath the guide rollers 18 in conjunction with the conveyer 13. The guide roller 21 desirably is located yin such proximity to the guide roller 22 over which the endless carrier 4 is guided that the endless conveyer 20 passing over the roller` 21 will act as a doffer to remove from the conveyer 4 any material which may adhere to it and deposit the same upon the conveyer 13 so that it will be carried through the upper series of tanks in the manner aforesaid. A

- After passing through'the series of tanks Athe leads of the conveyers 13 and 20 preferably pass into 'a drying chamber 23 through which the coperating leads of said conveyers are carried preferably alternately below and above drums 24, 25 so that these leads of the conveyers with the material between them preferably travel in a sinuous course through the drying chamber.

rllhe drums 24and 25 preferably comprise heads 26, 27 (see Fig. 4) j ournaled upon hollow bearings 28 of the upper side frame 3, with gas pipes 29 extending through the bearings. rllhe pipes may be provided with any number of holes to provide jets for heating the interior.l rlhe 'periphery 30, of the drum desirably is provided with longi` tudinal slots 31, the walls 32 of the slots being turned inwardly: By this construction the inturned walls 32 of the slots 31 form in effect fans which tend to draw air into the drum during its rotation or to expel air therefrom, according to the direction in which the drumis rotated, thus the rotating drums which are heated from the inside not y only act upon the material passing over them to heat the material but also to force air currents through the material, which will .facilitate the drying operation.

Any suitable number of said drums may be employed and they may be arranged to draw in and expel the atmosphere as may be desired. The upper portion of the drier may be provided with a hood 33 and with a chimney 34 as illustrated in Fig. 2 or the heating chamber may be located' beneath the series of tanks in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3 which will hereinafter be described.

Means preferably are provided for restricting the area o f the opening in the bottom of the chamber to confine the air therein and prevent the wastage ofl heat. Any desirable construction may be employed. A convenient means illustrated herein comprises a series of bottom plates 35, 36 secured to the side frames, and adjustable plates 37, 38 connected to them by slot and screw connections 39, 40. By adjusting the ledges of the plates 37, 38 more or less closely to each other the amount of air entering the chamber may be regulated. Of course any other suitable regulating means may be employed. Y

After emerging from the drying chamber the endless carrier 13 passes around guiding rollers 41, 42 and thence downwardly beneath the rollers 14 as aforesaid. The lower lead of the upper conveyer 20 after passing through the drier is guided beneath rollers 43 thence preferably beneath a roller 44 located beyond the roller 41 and thence over suitable guides to the roller 21 at the opposite end of the machine. By suitable arrangement of the guiding rollers for the conveyers a space 45 may be provided for the feeding in of the material upon the up per lead of the conveyer 4 so that the material, such for example as a fleece of wool, may be spread out flat thereupon and as the adjacent leads of the conveyers 4 and 13 advance preferably at the same speed the fleece or other material will be clamped between them in the form of a thin layer. This layer will be'maintained in its original position between the leads of the conveyers 4, 13 and 20 during the entire treatment no matter to how many different operations the same is Submitted and will finally be discharged b y the conveyer 13 as the latter passes over the roll 41 into a suitable receptacle such as a bag 46 or upon some other conveyer for transporting the finished material to other machines.

- Any suitable means may be provided for driving the conveyers above described. A convenient mechanism which is illustrated herein comprises a main driving shaft 47 which maybe mounted inthe frame, said shaft being driven by a suitable power mechanism through a belt 48 and .pulley 49 mounted upon one end of said shaft (see Fig. 1),. The opposite end of the'shaft 47 is provided with a beveled gear 50v which meshes with a complementary beveled gear 51 upon a countershaft 52 from which other countershafts may be driven in any suitable manner to rotate any desired `number of rollers 11 and 17 and the squeezing rollers 12.

As illustrated herein the shaft 52 is provided with a sprocket wheel 53 which drives a sprocket chain 54 and thereby actuates a sprocket wheel 55 which is fast upon a countershaft 56 running lengthwise of the upper frame 3. The shaft 56 has upon it worms 57 which engage worm gears 58 upon the shafts of certain of the rollers 17 thereby rotatin said rollers.

Sultable gears upon the shafts of the rollers 17 may be provided to engage gears 59 upon the squeezing rollers 19 and thereby positively drive them. The second sprocket wheel 60 rigidly secured upon the shaft 56 actuates a sprocket .chain 61 which in turn drives a sprocket wheel 62 upon a countershaft 64 mounted upon bearings alongside the Vlower frame 2 and this countershaft is likewise provided with worms 64X which actuate worm gears 65 to rotate the rollersfll. The shafts of these rollers 17` may be provided with gears 66 to actuate the squeeze rollers 12.

In the operation of the machine, the fibrous material or fleece of wool is presented to the converging leads of the upper and lower conveyers and as it is seized byvsaid conveyersA is drawn between them in such a manner as to impose a tension upon each fiber. This results from the fact that the elements of the reticulated conveyer engage the fibers upon both their upper and lower surfaces at several points as they draw upon the material while it is being fed between them and the tension thus created on each fiber is maintained during the progress of the material through the machine. Consequently, there is no opportunity for the shorter fibers to contract and roll up into noils. The material therefore when discharged from the machine remains in the same condition so far as therelative arrangement of the fibers isconcerned as when it was introduced into the machine.

By this construction conveyers, 4, 13 and 20 may be driven ata uniform speed so that the adjacent leads of the conveyers which engage and confine the material between them will progress through the machine in unison at all times retaining the fibers under a proper tension and in substantially their initial arrangement and discharging the material in its original condition except for the cleansing and other treatments to which it series.

employed, said tanks desirably being either porcelain lined or provided withy removable porcelain receptacles for .the liquid which is used.

It will also ybe understood that the same solutions may be used in a single or in two or more adjacent tanks and that the sqeezing rolls may be used to expel the water from the material as it emerges from each tank, or that the squeezing rolls may be applied only where the conveyers pass from one solution to the next.

Any suitable means may be provided for supplying water to the tanks, a convenient means comprising a pipe 67 leading from a suitable supply, said pipe 67 leading upwardly along one of the posts 1 and communicating with branch pipes 68, 69 which run along the side frames2 and 3 respectively. rl`he branch pipes l68 and 69 are provided with faucets 70 adapted to discharge into the respective tanks so that any tank may be replenished .at will. lf desired a pre-heating means may be provided in order that water at any desired temperature may be supplied to the tanks.

lf desired other water pipes for introducing cold Water into the tanks may also be employed. ln order to draw o the contents of the tanks discharge pipes 71 having valves 72 therein communicate with the bottom of each tank. The discharge pipes 71 of the upper and lower series of tanks preferably communicate with discharge pipes 73 and 74: respectively, the discharge pipe 73 desirably being provided with three-Way valves 75 located over tanks in the lower By this means the solution from any of the tanks of the upper series may be discharged into any of the tanks of the lower series or may be carried to a waste pipe.

llt will therefore be seen that if the same solution is used in both the upper and lower .series of tanks and the solution in the lower series becomes exhausted or deteriorated it may be drawn 0E in whole or in part from the lower tank and a solution from the upper tank transferred into said lower tank.'

thus permitting the upper tank to be refilled with a fresh solution.

Likewise the rinsing water in' an upper' tank may be drawn 0E to replenish the first cleansing water of the lower series `of tanks, thus saving water, which is very essential when a machine is installed where a limited supply of water is available.

In order to maintain the liquid in the tanks at desired temperatures means are preferably provided for heating the bottoms of each tank. A preferred means which is .'ilustrated herein as applied to adjacent tanks having ll-shaped bottoms'comprlses a serles of burners 76 located between the incllned bottoms of adjacent tanks and in such manera l 'ency of action upon the material.

This is exceedingly important, particularly in wool scouring as it is desirable that 80- the wool shall be subjected to a washing solution of a temperature of substantially 100 F., thereafter to a saponaceous scouring solution at a somewhat higher temperature and again preferably to a similar solution at a still higher temperature and afterward to washing solutlons of gradually lower temperature and finally to bleaching, dyeing or other solutions, the eective action of which is more or less dependent upon the temperature of the solution.

After the final treatment of the material whether it is merely a scouring treatment or a scouring treatment combined with a bleach ing, carbonizing,'mercerizing or other or all 95 of such treatments it is essential that the material shall be thoroughly washed so that n all free chemical agents shallfbe 'remove/d' therefrom before the material enters the drier. rllhis may of course be accomplished by passing the material engaging leads of the conveyer through a suliicient number of washing tanks and agitating the same therein in the manner heretofore described. A further treatment which is desirable consists in projecting upon the material, jets or a spray of water at any desired pressure in such a manner that it will pass through the material and wash away anyfree substance which remains, either soluble or solid. To this end one or more ofthe branch ipes 69 .may be provided with a depending -shaped member 78 which communlcates with one o r more transverse pipes 79 provided with oriices positioned to discharge jets upon the material engaging leadsof the conveyers as they pass through the last tank or such number of tanks as may be provided with such equipment. The' discharge valves 72 of such tanks will of course be left open in order to dispose of the water which passes through the material and also the matter carried by it. ln such treatment however, the bottoms of the tanks preferably are heated by the burners 76 to a suiiiciently 1.2 5

that it is in properl condition to enter the drier. A ueezev rol-l or a plurality of squeeze rolls engage the material engaging conveyers after they pass through the steam treatment and 'squeeze as much of the liquid as possible from the material before it enters the drier heretofore described.

As before stated it is desirable that means be provided for expelling the dirt and other free solid matter from the wool r other material to be treated preliminary to the washing and scouring operations.

A preferred mechanism for accomplishing this purpose which is illustrated herein comprises a series of beaters which are adapted to act upon the material while it is confined between the adjacent material engaglllgleads of the conveyers.

The beaters illustrated in 1, 2, 3 and 6.of the accompanying drawings comprise bars or cylinders 80 rigidly secured to the side frames 2 and .extending across the conveyers a short distance above the upper material engaging lead 'of said conveyers. Spring plates 81 are rigidly secured to the bars 80 and are provided .at their free ends with upturned portions 82 allowing lifting devices to enter beneath them.

These beaters lare raised and flexed by pins 83 projecting from a cylinder 84 which is mounted upon a shaft 85 journaled in suitable bearings in the frame 3. The'shaft 80 is provided with a sprocket wheel 86 which is rotated by a chain 87 from a sprocket wheel 88 on the main shaft 47. Any desired number of beaters may be utilized and the actuating shafts therefor connected by chain. and sprocket or other usual type of gearing not shown.

In order to protect the vendless conveyers from the action of the beaters a web of canvas 89 or other tough iexible material is stretched just above the 'lead of the conveyer 13 which is acted upon by the beater.

This canvas may be secured to rolls 90, 91 journaled in the frame 3, pawl and ratchet mechanism 92, 93 being provided upon one or both of said rolls for imposing proper tension or taking up the slack in the canvas as the'same stretches.

In the operation of the machine the rotation of the roller 83 raises the free ends of the spring plates 81 successively against the action of their springs and releases them so that the plates fly down and strike successively heavy blows upon the canvas which overlies the material. engaging leads of the conveyers. The conveyers, as above stated, whlch are apertured and preferably are made. of reticulated wire cloth permit the dirt and other free materiallto be driven through the lower lead of the conveyer into a suitable receptacle from which it may be removed through a door, chute or pneumatic conveyer (not shown).

roller 96 engages each beater 95 as the roller 96 is rotated, thereby flexing the same into the form of an arc as illustrated in Fig. 7. As the end of the arc passes over the last bar it preferably is substantially vertically above the axis of the roller 96. The spring is then released and by its resilience whips down upon the canvas layer 89 strikinga powerful blow thereupon.

These spring plates 95 may be arranged spirally or in any desired manner as will be readily understood.

It has been heretofore mentioned that it is desirable to agitate the material carrying leadsof the conveyer transversely as the same pass through various liquids or solutions in the tank. A preferredI mechanism for accomplishing this purpose is illustrated in' Figs. 1 and 8 which comprises one, or preferably a pair of arms 98, carrying at their lower ends pairs of guiding rollers y99, 100 embracing respectively the upper and lower leads of the conveyer and extending the full width across the same. The arms `98 converge and at their upper ends have an integral boss 101 forming a cam strap which embraces a cam 102 mountedupon ashaft 103 which may be carried by suitable bearings upon the side walls of the tank frames or upon the tanks.

The shaft 103 may be driven in any obvious manner from the transmitting mechanism. It will therefore be obvious that upon rotation of the shaft 103 the arms 98 will be alternately raised and lowered causing the material engaging conveyers to reciprocate transversely and thereby force the` liquid through the material which .is confined between the conveyers in a manner somewhat analogous to that in which hand scrubbing is done inflaundry work, thus most effectively causing such a circulation of the liquid that it will reach each individual fiber.

By setting the camsv which actuate theA agitating device in successive tanks at difer- A ent angular positions no unusual strain will be imposed upon the conveyers. In order however to avoid any damaging strain upon the same and also to keep the conveyers in proper relation to each other a yieldablc guiding roller is provided which is analogous to a belt tightener and which may be V'adjusted tolsecure the' desired tensionupon the conveyers.

A convenient form of tensiondevice of this type is illustrated in Fig. 1 and comprises a roller 104 mounted in suitable bearings l105 carried by guides 106 u on `a bracket 107 secured to the main rame. lhe guides 106 are connected at their ends by a plate 108 through which screws 109 extend, said screws being provided with hand wheels 110. rlhe opposite ends of the screws are provided with disks' 111 which engage the upper ends of springs 112, the lower ends of which are seated upon the slidab'le bearings 105 of the roller 104.

about them so as to provide parallel upper and lower fabric engaging portions 116, 117. rlhese f abric engaging portions previously have been perforated by al punch .which causes burs 118 to extend' from the walls of the perforations. By making alternate perforations 119, 120 of different lsizes the clamping means may be so arranged that the burs of one set of alternate perforations 119 enter the burs 120 of an alternate set of perforations when the clamping strip is in place.

By folding the clamping strip over the edge of the belt therefore until the perforaytions 119 and' 120 come into re istry then hammering. the superposed portions of thel plates together the burs 119, 120 willl be caused to pass through thewebs of the conveyers and interlock so asftirmly to secure the ends of the web together.

Any suitable perforated, reticulated or porous material ma be used for the conveyer belts, prefera l conveyer formed of 'flexible wire is used, such as copper wire, or galvanized iron wire. l have also discovered that iron wire cloth may be provided with a protective coat of Portland cement which prevents the action of chemicals ordinarily used in scouring and other treatments of wool and therefore will preserve the life of the conveyer.

In Fig. 2 a modified form of the invention is illustrated in which the material is carried by endless conveyers having adjacent parallel leads through beating mechanism of the character above described, thence through a series of tanks adapted to scour and erform the other treatments above descrlbed -upon`the material, the conveyers finally cara reticulated wire l, manera that the excess ofheat from the drier is utilized for heating the liquid in the tanks.

As illustrated in this construction two conveyers are used, one of said conveyers 121 being carried through a beating mechanism 122 which may be of the type heretofore described, 'thence through a series of tanks 123 andffrom said tanks 123 around suitable guide rollers 124:v and downwardly around drying drums 125, 126 which are located beneath the tanks 123, the lower lead of said over suitable guidconveyer finally passing t r. the

agaln en e lng ing rollers 127, 128 an beating compartment.

An upper conveyer 129 hasl its lower lead guided in parallelism with the upper lead of the conveyer above described and serves to clamp the material during its passage through the beater and through the tanks as heretofore explained.

.These conveyers pass around suitable guide rollers 130 the upper lead of said conveyer going above the tanks and beating compartment. A third conveyer 131 cooperates with the conveyer 121 after the.

same passes the roller-124, the upper lead of the conveyer 131 receiving the material as it is released by the conveyers'121, and 129 and coperating with the lower lead of the conveyer 121 to carry the material through the drier.

The conveyer 131 together with the. lower lead ofthe conveyer 121 passes around the v drying drums 125 and 126 throughout the dryer and thence passes around'a roller 132 being guided by other suitable rollers 133 beneath the frame of the drier". The lower` lead of thel conveyer 121 continues along beneath the beating compartment so that the material carried between the conve ers 121 and 131 is discharged upon an en ess conveyer 134 running transversely across the machine as illustrated .in Fig. 2, or into any suitable receptacle. v

ult will be understood that the mechanism disclosed herein is merely of an illustrative character and that the process may be performed by other means than that disclosed herein and that various other modifications in the apparatus may be made' within the meaning and scope of the claims hereof; for example, any number of superposed tanks may be employed or the tanks may be made in units which may be conveniently assem- 'bled and knocked down for transportation,

the latter being particularly desirable where the process and apparatus is to be used for the purpose of cleaning soldiers uniforms, etc. f

1t will also be understood that my inven-- tion comprehends the application of the process and the apparatus to the treatment 'of any kind of fibrous, textile or other material which it is desired to treat in a series of operations without disturbing the rela,- tive arrangement of the fibers or elements thereof.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of simultaneouslymovable reticulated members adapted to clamp the material therebetween in a thin layer, means for moving said members-in unison in the direction of their length with I the material between them, and means acting on said material during the movement of said members.

2. An apparatus for -treating material comprising a plurality of traveling, reticulated, endless conveyers '.having adjacent leads simultaneously moving in the same direction adapted to engage and clamp the material between them and means acting on said material while retained between said conve ers. l

3. n apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of superposed, traveling, endless, apertured conveyers having parallel adjacent leads simultaneously moving in the same direction at the same speed adapted to engage and confine the material between them and means for subjecting the' material to dry and wet cleansmg treatments while retained between said conveyers.

4. An apparatus for treating material comprising `a plurality of superposed, traveling, endless, apertured conveyers having parallel adjacent leads simultaneously moving inv the same direction -at the same speed adapted to engage and confine the material between them, means for subjecting the material to dry and wet cleansing treatments while retained between said conveyers, and means for drying the cleansed material while retained between said conveyers.

5. An apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of superposed, traveling, reticulated, endless conveyers having adjacent parallel leads moving simultaneously in the same direction adapted to confine the material in a thin layer between them, and means including beatersy acting upon the material through one of the material-engaging leads to expel dirt and other debris from the material through the other material-engaging lead of said conveyer.

6. An apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of superposed, traveling, apertured, endless conveyers having adjacent parallel leads moving simultaneously in the same direction adapted to confine the material in a thin layer between them, and means including a vplurality of sets of beaters acting upon the material through the upper material-engaging lead to expel dirt and other debris from said material through the other' material-engaging lead. l

7. An apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of superposed, traveling, apertured, endless conveyers having adjacent parallel `leads moving simultaneously in the same direction adapted to confine the material in a thin layer between them, means including beaters acting upon the material through the material-engaging lead to expel dirt and other debris from said material through the other material-engaging lead, and exible, stationary, protective means intermediate of said beaters and said upper material-engaging lead.

8. An apparatus for treating material comprising a .plurality of parallel, reticulated, endless conveyers having parallel adjacent leads simultaneously traveling in the same vdirection and acting to clamp a thin layer of the material between them, a` tank of liquid and means for guiding the material-engaging leads of said conveyer through the liquid in said tank.

9. An apparatus for treating 'material comprising a plurality of parallel, reticulated, endless conveyers having parallel adjacent leads simultaneously traveling in the same direction and acting to clamp a thin layer of the material between them, a tank of liquid, means `for guiding said conveyerA upward -relativeto the surface of the liquid and means for squeezing said material between said conveyers during its progress through said liquid.

10. An apparatus for treatin material comprising a plurality of para lel, apertured, endless conveyers having parallel adjacent leads simultaneously traveling in the' same direction adapted to retain a thin layer of the material between them, a tank of liquid, means for guiding said conveyer through the liquid in said tank, and means for vlbrating said conveyers durin their passage throu h said liquid Where y the liquid will be orced through said conveyers and the material confined therebetween.

ll. An apparatus for treating materialA comprising a plurality of parallel, aperturel, endless conveyers having parallel adjacent leads simultaneously traveling in the same direction adapted to retain a thin layer of the material between them, a tank of liquid, means for. guiding said conveyer through the liquid in said tank, means for squeezing said material between the said conveyers during its progress through said liquid, and means for vibrating sa1d con- -veyers during their assage through said liquid whereby the iquid will be forced through said conveyer and the material confined therebetween.

12. An apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of superposed, apertured endless conveyers having adjacent parallel leads traveling in the same direction adapted toconfiney a thin layer ot the material between them, a V-shaped tank of liquid, and means for guiding said parallel leads first obliquely downward into said tank and thereafter obliquely upward whereby said material will be exposed to the action of a minimum amount of liquid in a maximum amount of distance.

13. An apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of superposed, apertured, endless conveyers having adjacent parallel leads traveling in the same direction adapted to conine a thin layer of the material between thema lf-shaped tank of liquid, and means including rollers located in did'erent horizontal planes and engagin opposite sides of said conveyers for gui ing said parallel leads first obliquely. downward into said tank and thereafter obliquely upward, whereby said material will be exposed to a minimum amount of liquid in a maximum amount of distance and the material squeezed between said conveyers during the passage of said leads around said rollers.

14. An apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of superposed, aper-I tured, endless conveyers having adjacent parallel leads traveling in the saine direction adapted .to conine a thin layer of the material between them, a4 tank of liquid, means for guiding said parallel leads first obliquely downward into said tank and thence obliquely upward, and means Jtorvibrating said obliquely inclined portions of the conveyer transversely ot their width during their passage through the tank.

15. An apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of superposed, apertured, endless conveyers having adjacent parallel leads traveling in the same direction adapted to confine a thin layer of the material between them, a tank .of'liquid, means vior guiding said parallel leads first obliquel downward into said` tank and thence o liquely upward, and means for vif brating said obliquely inclined portions of the conveyer transversely of their width during their passage throu h the tank, including guides having rollers embracing said downward and upward leads, and means for reciprocating said guides.

16. An apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality ot superposed, apertured, endless conveyers having adjacent parv'allelleads traveling in the same direction adapted to confine a thin layer of vthe material between them, a tank of liquid, and means including rollers located in di'erent horizontal planes and engaging opposite sides of said conveyers for guidingv said parallel leads iirst obliquely downward into to conine the material between them in a n thin layer, and'passing through said tanks, and means for expelling the liquid from said material as it passes from one tank to the next wherebyv said material may be treated successively by diderent agents.

18. An apparatus tor treating material comprisin a series of tanks, a pluralityl of superpose apertured, endless conveyers having parallel adjacent leads simultaneously moving in the same direction adapted to confine the material between them in a thin layer, and passing through said tanks,

means for expelling the liquid from said material as it passes from-one tank to the next including squeezing rolls engaging opposite sides of said conve ers after their emergence from the liquid in thetrespective tanks, and means for returning the liquid to the tanks from which it was carried by the material whereby said material may be treated successively by diderent agents.

19. An apparatus for treating material comprising a series of tanks, a plurality of superposed, apertured; endless conveyers having parallel adjacent leads simultaneously movin in thesame direction adapted to confine t e material between them in a thin layer, and assing through said tanks, means for expe ling the' liquid from said material vas it passes from'one tank to the next whereby said material may be treated successively by' diderent nts, and means for drying the material w between said endless conveyers including a series of heating drums about which said material-engagingi'leads of said conveyers are carried.

20. An apparatus for treatin material comprising a series ot tanks, a p urality of superposed, apertured, endless conveyers having parallel adjacent leads simultaneously moving in the saine direction, adapted to confine the material between them in a thin layer, and assing through said tanks, means for expe ling the liquid from said material as it passes from one tank to next whereby said material maybe treated successively by diderent a ents, and means forv drying the material w ile still confined ile still confined the between said .endless conveyers includin a series of drums about which the materialengaging leads of said conveyers are carried, said drums being located alternately on opposite sides of said conveyers whereby said drums will be' rotated in opposite directions by the movement ofsaid conveyers.

21. An apparatus for 4treating material comprising a series of tanks, a plurality ofl superposed, a ertured, vendless conveyers having parallel adjacent leads simultaneously moving in the same direction, adapted to confine the material between them in a thin layer, and passing through said tanks, means for expelling the liquid from saidA material as it passes from one tank to the next whereby said material may be treated successively by different agents, means for drying the material while still confined between said endless conveyers including a series of drums-about which the4 ma'- terial-engaging leads of said conveyers are carried, said drums being located alternately on opposite sides of said conveyers whereby said drums will be rotated in opposite directions by the movement of said conveyers, and means for causing saidl drums to act as fans to cause the circulation of air through said conveyers and the material confinedtherebetween.

22. Anapparatus-for treating material comprisinga series of tanks, a plurality of superposed, apertured, endless conveyersv having parallel adjacentv leads simultaneously movin in the same direction, adapted to confine t e material between them in a thin layer, and passing through said tanks, means for expelling the liquid from said material as it passes from one tank to the next whereby said material may be treated successively by different agents, means for dryingthe nzaterial while still confined between lsaid endless conveyers including a series of drums about which the materialengaging leads of said conveyers are carried,

sald drums leing located alternately on opposite sides of said conveyers whereby said drums will be rotated in opposite directions by the movement vof said conveyers, and means for causing certain of said conveyers to act as fansto expel the heated air vfrom within the drum while others of said drums act as suction fans to draw air through said conveyers and the material therebetween.

23. An -apparatus for treating material comprising a series of tanks, heating means located between adjacent tanks and means for regulating said heating means whereby theliquid in said tanks may be maintained at desiredtemperatures, and means for passing a thin confined layer of material successively through said tanks.

24.' An apparatus for treating material comprising `a series of tanks having V- shaped bottoms, heating means located between the bottoms of adjacent tanks and means for regulating said heating means' whereby the liquid in said tanks may be maintained at desired temperatures, means for passing a thin confined layer of material successively through said tanks, comprising superposed, apertured, endless conveyers having parallel leads moving simultaneously in the same direction and adapted to confine the material between them, and means for guiding said material-engaging leads of said conveyers through successive tanks.

25. An apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of superposed series of tanks adapted to contain liquid, means for passing the material in a thin layer sucsesslvely through the tanks of one series and then throughthe tanks of the other series, and means operable to discharge the contents of any of the tanks of an upper series into any of the tanks of a lower series.

26. An apparatus for scouring wool and other fibrous material comprising a series of tanks, a plurality of apertured endless conveyers having parallel adjacent leads simultaneously moving in the same direction, passing successively through said tanks and adapted to confine the fleece between them in a fiat condition, said tanks beingprovided with liquid solutions adapted successively to wash, scour and rinse said wool, and means for maintaining the liquid in said tanks at a desired temperature. 27. An apparatus for treating wool and other materials comprisin a plurality of conveyers adapted to con ne 4a thin layer of material between them, and means for treatin' the material while thus 'confined successively to dry cleaning, scouring and steaming operations. v

28. An apparatus for treating wooland other materials comprising a plurality of conveyers adapted to confine a thin layer of material between them, means for moving said conveyers continuously in the same direction, and means for treatin the' material while thus confined successive y to cleaning, scouring, rinsing and steaming operations.

29. An apparatus for treating wool comprising a plurality of conveyers adapted to confine a thin layer of wool between them and to maintain a tension upon the fibers of the wool, means for moving said conveyers continuously in the same direction and means for treating the wool while thus confined successively to cleaning, scouring, `rinsing ined successively to cleaning, scouring, merycessively to cleaning, scouring, rinsing,

bleaching and drying operations.

32. An apparatus for treating material.

comprising a plurality of superposed, apertured, endless reticulated conveyers having adjacent leads moving simultaneously in the same direction, adapted to clamp the material between them, and means for subjecting the material to the action of steam while thus retained between said conveyers.

33. In an apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of superposed, apertured, endless conveyers having adjacent leads adapted to confine the material between them, and moving simultaneously in the same direction, means for expelling dirt and other debris from the material, comprisinga series of beaters overlying the upper material-confining lead, and means for actuating said beaters.

34. In an apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of superposed, apertured, endless conveyers having adjacent leads adapted to confine the material between them and moving simultaneously in the same direction, means for expelling dirt and other debris from the material, comprising a series of beaters consisting of spring plates overlying the upper material-confining lead, and means for flexing and releasing said spring plates.

35. In an apparatus Jfor treating material comprising a plurality of superposed, apertured, endless conveyers having adjacent leads adapted to confine the material between them, and moving simultaneously in the same direction, means for expelling dirt and other debris from the material, comprising a series of beaters consisting of spring plates overlying the upper material-confining lead, means for Hexing and releasing said spring plates, and flexible, stationary blowreceiving means located intermediate of said spring plates and the material-engaging means of said conveyer whereby the blow of said beaters will be be struck upon the stationary, ilexible member and will be transmitted throu h the same and through ,the upper lead o said conveyer to the material.

36. In an apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of superposed, apertured, endless conveyers having adjacent leads adapted to conline the material between them, and moving simultaneously in the same direction, means for expelling dirt and other debris from the material, comprising a series of beaters consisting or" spring plates overlying the upper material-confining lead, means for Hexing and releasing said spring plates, a flexible, stationary blow-receiving fabric located intermediate said spring plates and the material-engaging leads of said conveyers, and means for regulating the tension uponsaid blow-receiving fabric.

37. An apparatus for treating material comprising a plurality of superposed, apertured, endless, traveling conveyers having adjacent parallel leads adapted to confine a thin layer of material between them, a serles of tanks, means for guiding said materialngaging leads of said conveyers through said tanks, means for drying the material while still engaged between said materialengaging. leads, including a series of drums having longitudinal slots provlded wlth 1nturned walls, and means for heatlng the drums from within, alternating drums being rotated by said conveyers in opposite directions and adapted alternately to expel-or inspire air through said slots.

In testimony whereof, name to this specication.

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ll have signed my 

